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Boston College - Connecticut Matchup
Boston College and the University of Connecticut will meet on Friday night to see who gains the
early upper hand in the Big East Conference. The Eagles are 2-0 following an impressive win against
Penn State. UConn is also 2-0 thanks to a 22-20 comeback victory over Duke. Here are the key players:
| The Quarterbacks |
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Paul Peterson -- 57.0% comp, 1,128 yards, 10 TD, 7 INT |
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Dan Orlovsky -- 58.7% comp, 3,485 yards, 33 TD, 14 INT |
| Top Rushers |
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Andre Callender (2004) -- 113 yards, 4.2 ypc, 0 TD |
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Jeff Ross (2004) -- 39 yards, 2.3 ypc, 0 TD |
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Cornell Brockington -- 643 yards, 4.9 ypc, 10 TD |
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Matt Lawrence -- 45 yards, 3.3 ypc, 1 TD |
| Top Receivers |
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Grant Adams (WR) -- 46 catches, 720 yards, 5 TD |
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Joel Hazard (WR) -- 32 catches, 401 yards, 0 TD |
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Dave Kashetta (TE) -- 18 catches, 262 yards, 4 TD |
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Keron Henry (WR) -- 39 catches, 662 yards, 4 TD |
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Brandon Young (WR) -- 28 catches, 399 yards, 4 TD |
| Top Defenders |
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Mattias Kiwanuka (DE) -- 83 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 24 QB hurries |
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Will Blackmon (CB) -- 64 tackles, 4 INT, 10 passes broken up |
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Maurice Lloyd (LB) -- 122 tackles, 15 tackles for loss |
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Alfred Fincher (LB) -- 115 tackles, 10 tackles for loss |
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Tyler King (DE) -- 77 tackles, 8 sacks |
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Justin Perkins (CB) -- 69 tackles, 6 INT, 15 passes broken up |
| The Kickers |
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Ryan Ohliger (2004) -- 0/0 FG, 4/4 PAT |
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Matthew Nuzie -- 11/21 FG, 47/49 PAT |
| The Punters |
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Johnny Ayers (2004) -- 39.9 yards per kick |
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Shane Hussar (2004) -- 33.0 yards per kick |
| The Kick Returners |
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Will Blackmon (2004) -- 43.7 yds per KO return (1 TD), 9.2 yds per punt return |
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Jason Williams -- 23.9 yards per KO ret |
| Final Analysis |
If you read UConn football message boards, you might think that the Huskies are the same caliber
as USC, LSU, Miami and Oklahoma. Those of us that live on planet Earth realize that Connecticut is an
improving program but is not close to competing for a BCS title. Still, Boston College cannot overlook
UConn. The Huskies have a chance to win on Friday if (a) star QB Dan Orlovsky has a huge game and (b)
the Eagles continue to commit silly penalties and fumble the ball. Orlovsky has feasted on bad teams,
but he has also held his own against some decent competition. If is imperative that BC does a better job
pressuring Orlovsky than they did Zack Mills of Penn State. Mills missed several open receivers.
Orlovsky is not likely to do the same. I don't anticipate UConn being effective running the ball against
BC so Orlovsky will be the key.
On the other side of the ball, BC should have a huge advantage if they can stay ahead in the game, run
the ball and dominate the time of possession. The BC offensive line outweighs UConn's defensive line by
an average of 41 pounds per man (UConn's offensive line has a 25 pound advantage on BC's defensive front
four). That advantage should pay dividends, especially in the fourth quarter. If Paul Peterson plays
as well as he did against Penn State and BC avoids silly mistakes, they should cruise to a victory.
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| Prediction: Boston College 31 UConn 16 |
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| 2003 Statistic |
BC |
CT |
| Offense - Run |
31 |
34 |
| Offense - Pass |
52 |
10 |
| Defense - Run |
30 |
45 |
| Defense - Pass |
74 |
32 |
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UConn's Official Policy When Things Go Against Them